Combined table and ironing board



Aug. 17, 1948. v R. E. STUBBS 2,447,48

COMBINED TABLE AND IRONING BOARD Filed Feb. 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 17, 1%48. STUBBS 2,447,48U

v COMBINED TABLE AND IRONING'BOARD Filed Feb. 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2, and

Patented Aug. 17, 1948 COMBINED TABLE AN D IRDNING" BOARD yRobert E. 'Stubbs, Duluth,.= Minn.

Application February 5, 1'945,'Seria1*No.5'76,199

and ironing board unit.

"The principal object ."thereof is that :of providing exceptional convenience in storage capacity for .instrumentalities commonlyused in the art of ironing and general. housekeeping.

Another object is to provide as substantialvsupport as possible forthe'irohing board when in use as well as alike support and guide for the foldableleaves of'thetable top when in either ,of their adjusted positions.

'Othertobjects and advantages of the invention may appear in the further comprehension and .Jdescription thereof.

In the accompanying drawing formingpart of this .application -w-herein like reference nu- .merals indicate like parts;

Fig. '1 is a perspective View of the cabinet in open..position. showing .the I ironing 1 board folded therewithin and other ,of the. cooperative parts hot the. assembly,

Fig. '2 is a transversecentral sectional view .of

Fig. Lepartlysin elevation,

.Fig. 3.is'-a.section-al Viewv on the. line 3-3, Fig.

-Fig.4is a-perspective viewoofone type (ofhinge .for the v'unionrof thetwocpartsof the ironing .board.

In the drawin the reference numeral l. represents themajor portion of the receptacle or boxlike-support of the-unit, and the numeral 2 represents-the lesser hinged cooperative part of the support which is fixedto the central portion 3 of the tab1e:top,-the latter preferably being provided with thecooperative'opposed hinged leaves 4-4 common to a kitchen or other table "top.

:the top which is free to-be raised or loweredas desired by-virtue of thehinges' 5-5, has the double function of acting as a shelf for holding any object suitablelforssuoh holding when placed thereupon after such leaf has been turned down to horizontal position when the top is in open and vertical position.

At such time, the leaf will firmly rest'upon the novel type of support. which is slidably adjustable against the normally underface of the table top 3.

Each of these leaf rests is of aysinglerod-like metalfpiecehaving a U-shaped-"bight centrally thereof where doubled upon' itself as at'B; thence turned at" right angles at a distance preferably aequal to the extent of said :bight; thence, passes through suitable openings in the wall 'I of "the --lessers:part.f2 of the box-likeyunit.

When thus in position against the under face of the top 3, the pair-like'arms of each support are held reasonably tight against the top by -imeans of a wooden block=like= cleat 8 adjustably .2 1 carried by sai'd top so that the supports mayLbe held with any Gesired' frictional tension 1 against the" top.

"Thus it l isapparent when-= the one I for holding 5 the upper-most -1ea'f horizont'ally, -as shown =in dotted lines 'in' Fig. l, i is in proper position "for suchservice; the first' right angle bend-from the portion "thereof forming the bi'ght -6 will rest firmly upon the walll of the lesserpart 2 of the 10 main housing of the unit forming-an ideal dependable supportfor the leaf when in' horizontal ;position.

Furthermore, it isto be noted thatthesebightlike supports by their-peculiarpermanent shape positively assure against the -leaves--'at-any time striking or bumping'againstthe bodyof the-unit whenthe top is either 'up-ordown.

The upper lesser section-of the-unitis, -of

course, provided ---With the =usual secure 'foldable 2O arm -su-pports ii- 9 for a'djustably -holding the parts together andwhich forms =nopart or the instant invention.

Within the upper "part -of the major portion i of the -unit is normally stored the foldable ironingboa1d "comprising the sections "l0 -and l l, they beingof "such -'size and shape to thus occupy theprincipal area "-of such space.

Below the boar'd when foldedand permanently within the "unit is the depending double lined safety=-well 1 l2 for storing the ==saidiron whether -hot or-cold;-'and *fiXedupon-theshelf-like section 1 t3 of-*de'ckor floor installed level with theopen -topof= the well l 2-is the upright standard M for support of the sheet metal insulated hinged shelf l5 for intermittent temporary support of the sadiron While being used.

As a suitable adjustable support 'for' the iron- -ing board topermit of its-being folded -within the unit and also susceptible to unfolding ar-rd -bei-ng raised- 'upwardly and-outWardly"-tolthe po- '-'sit-ion' on 1 top v of the front wall of the unit as -shown'indottd lines in Fig." 2; there is provided the fol-letting:

Adjacent each of the oppositeextremitiesef the'-sadiron- -well [2 is formed-a vertically open wchannel it as by the pair of relatively-wide-but 'tliin bearns ITfiXedat both ends to 'the opposite walls of thelllfit.

Depending within an'd "through each channel is a Wide, flat, oddly-shaped supporting -leg l il "permanently fixed to the bottomse'ction I ill of the ironing board, one adjacent each end thereof, such-being to funotion as a positive -strong 'suppo'rt' and guide for the boar d both whileibeing 'inovedz to and-from the interior ofthe unit and upon the upperedge of theffrontlwa'll for ironing purposes. 'lTheselegs IBJare'particuIarly odd in that each dias .L an zalongated narrow forwardly extending mead-portion l9 fixed securely tothe undersidecof the section II] of the ironing board and approaching the full width thereof, the depending leg portion atits juncture with said head being in width materially less than one-half the length of said head and forming a notch therewith.

From thence downwardly, each leg widens considerably to form a substantial base connection with the shoe member 20 which is materially wider than the lower extremity of the leg to prevent any possibility of the latter passing com pletely upwardly through its respective channel and thus failing to function as intended.

As further strengthening and registering means, I provide two spaced, narrow stringers 2l-2l and about the thickness of the board portion I and permanently attached to the bottom thereof so that the ends of the same where they occur at the hingedly united ends of the board sections extend materially therebeyond forming an ideal twin support and guide for the cooperative ends of the board when they are folded or unfolded.

While I have shown a simple type of fiat metal hinge member as indicated at 22 being simply pivoted at each end within like opposed slots in the adjacent ends of the board, I have shown in Fig. 4 a modified form that might prove more desirable and efficient, the noval functioning of which will be described later.

A relatively short strong-back member 23 is fixed to the uppermost section II of the ironing board with one end projecting as at 24 and designed to function as an auxiliary cooperative support for the two sections when extended with their uppermost faces in the same plane as for example for ironing purposes.

It is to be seen that the upper edges of both pairs of beams 11 forming the channels I6 are notched as at 25 to receive the stringers 2l'-2l when the board is folded and within the unit as in Fig. 1 to further insure as stable a unit as possible when functioning as a table.

Another feature of the unit when open for use as an ironing instrumentality, is that of the automatically adjustable sadiron power supplying cord 28 which is shown as attached at one end tothe iron 21 with its other end plugged into an outlet box 28 in the upper rearmost corner of the hinged section 2 of the unit and from where any desired length of intake cord 29 may terminate in a plug 30, such a length supposedly being convenient for storing within the unit.

The automatic feature of the feed line to the iron is accomplished by means of the trolly rod 3! diagonally disposed from the forward upper corner of the on-edge smaller section of the unit downwardly and rearwardly to adjacent the rearmost lower corner of said section where it remains in fixed position. 7

A weighted trolly 32 of any suitable shape having a suspending eye 33 attached thereto and threaded upon the trolly rod 3! will thus be free to travel in either direction on said rod but always biased by gravity to the lowermost end thereof.

From the lowermost extremity of this trolly 32 is suspend the flexible power cord 26 to the sadiron 21. This suspension comprises the clamp-like member 34 having a hole therethrough for accommodation of the cord 26, said hole being supplied with a resilient bushing 35 which, for example, may be rubber and will normally hold the cord 26 in any predetermined position but will permit the same to be drawn manually therethrough for any required length of cord.

From the outlet box 28, is run a suitable power connection to any desired form of lamp 36 for illumination of the opened unit, the operation of said lamp may or may not be automatic.

It is to be noted that an auxiliary stabilizing support for the ironing board when in use is provided by the permanent installation of shelf 3'! just above the opening for the door 38 in the front of the cabinet, said shelf being for the reception and support of the shoes 20 which are installed upon the two spaced legs I8 of the ironing board.

A modified assembly of hinge for the two portions 10 and H of the ironing board is shown in Fig. 4, and which may prove more efiicient than that shown in the other views of the drawing, in that each hinge comprises a pair of housing portions 40-48, each having opposed laterally extending wings ll-4| for attachment to its respective board portion and pivotally carrying as at 42 within said housing portions 40, the opposite ends of the blade-like body member 43.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A combined table and ironing board, including a base compartment section, parallel slots through the bottom of said base compartment section, a shelf attached to the forward wall of said section, and an ironing board having legs extendable through said slots so that said. ironing board may rest upon the bottom of said section or be raised upwardly and forwardly into operative position with said legs resting upon said shelf.

2. A combined table and ironing board including a major base portion, a minor top portion, said portions being hinged along one pair of adjacent edges, a shelf attached to a wall of said base portion, slots through the bottom of said base portion and between opposite sides thereof, and an ironing board having legs extendable through said slots, so that said ironing board may rest within said base portion or be raised upwardly and forwardly into operative position with said legs resting on said shelf.

3. A combined table and ironing board including a major chambered base portion, a minor chambered top portion, an ironing board having spaced legs attached thereto, each leg'having a notch therein, a shelf secured to the forward wall of said base portion, and slots through the bottom of said base portion spaced to receive said legs, whereby said ironing board may rest within said base portion or be raised to operative position with said legs resting upon said shelf and said notches engaging the upper edge of said forward Wall.

ROBERT E. STU'BBS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 235,403 Baldwin Dec. 14, 1880 861,114 Harrild July 23, 1907 898,778 Phelan Sept. 15, 1908 957,583 Tindall May 10, 1910 1,515,505 McJohn Nov. 11, 1924 1,558,409 Stienecker Oct. 20, 1925 1,911,327 Shefiield May 30, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 22,172 Great Britain 1904 162,718 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1933 

